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The near 30 Year old McCann has clubbed 20+ HRs in 7 of his 8 seasons, including smacking 20 in 2013 – in just 356 AB. His Career 3 Slash is .277/.350/.823. McCann could also be used as a DH by the team to maximize his AB. McCann will be the best offensive Catcher in the Bronx since the days of Jorge Posada. Each one of the Yankees dynasty’s at World Series Titles have had great Catchers. New York has set themselves up nicely for the 2014 year. They must now wait on the Alex Rodriguez hearing before they can set how much money they can spend next campaign.

‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)

Im back & ready after being off during the 4th of July week to give you all another baseball packed podcast. On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports ( www.mlbreports.com ) & yours truly The Bench Warmers Show.

I star by paying respect to the great Yankee Stadium PA announcer Bob Sheppard on the 3 year anniversary to the day that he passed away…

I talk to the boss man Chuck Booth as he returns to do his segment! 16 Minutes in and a 31 Minute Segment Follow @chuckbooth3024

The Yankees do have some decent prospects coming along the way like Mason Willians, Tyler Austin and Gary Sanchez. Will the club stay true to their word and go under the 189 Million Dollar Luxury Tax Threshold next year? If yes, the club could struggle for a few years like it hasn’t for two decades. Meanwhile, who cares about 2013’s payroll. The club will stand to receive over $50 MIL in insurance dough for their hurt players. Why not reinvest the loot – and take some free swinging stabs? The club begins play today at 42 – 38, 4 games out of playoff spot, but 17 -24 in their last 41 Games Played. They play 2 series versus the Twins, and also have other series versus the Indians and Royals before the Break. Will they make hay, or freefall by then?

It wasn’t always a rosy picture for the New York Yankee fanbase after the 1982 season. In 1985, I became a fan of the team and Don Mattingly when I saw them smoke the Toronto Blue Jays like 22 – 0 or something on a Nationally televised game.

My dad was a huge Thurman Munson fan – and told me the legend of the Yankees when I started being able to hear. I even caught like his hero in little leaguie. Sometimes you pick up your love for the team based on your dad.

We still both love them to this day. I was there for 11 years of struggling from 1985 – 1995. Even when the club cashed in their 1st World Series in 1996, to me while it was cool, it would have been so much better had ‘Donnie Baseball’ been part of the ride.

The Bronx Bombers ripping off 3 more titles from 1998 – 2000 – and then another in 2009, have made me happy to be a fan. It is not just the playoffs that I have savored. This team has averaged 94 – 95 wins for the last 20 seasons.

The Yankees have 27 World Series Titles and 13 Losses in the Fall Classic since 1921. That is 40 Appearances in 91 years. They have had the highest payroll team in MLB for the Majority of that span. As of 2013, they will not be able to claim that stake anymore. Will they still make the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 years?

For the first time in years, the club will need to see some internal progress from their farm system to help the big club. With A-ROD out with his hip injury, plus the Miami fiasco, can you really count on the prima-donna to play at all this season? Derek Jeter is coming off a brutal ankle injury that occurred in the aforementioned Post Season Series vs the Tigers . The club is also hoping that ‘MO’ Rivera can find it within himself to make it through another year as a 43 Year Old. Just like The ALL-Time Saves Leader, this team is aging fast. Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson are Free Agents after 2013 is over. Brian Cashman is also going to take advantage of the reset option f the Luxury Tax loophole in 2014.

This means that when the Luxury Tax goes from 178 Million to 189 Million next year, that the club can stop paying its 40% annual penalty if they can get under for just one season. The Yankees will be sure to blow up the Payroll from 2015 and beyond that, it is just to not start the new luxury lax at the maximum penalty. Had the Luxury Tax not moved from its current spot, the Yankees would always pay the 40% penalty (even if they decided to skip one year).

As of this very moment, you are not the happiest of campers if you are a Yankees fan. Francisco Cervelli, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine look to start the year out catching for the Bronx Bombers! Really??? You are telling me that you will spend 215-225 Million Dollars on (Luxury Taxable) Payroll and you couldn’t find a mere 7.5 Million for a 1 Year Deal to sign A.J. Pierzynski? The club will receive some insurance money for A-Rod’s injury this year, however the Luxury Tax is not affected by that. So maybe knowing that they will pay 40% more for a guys salary (more than he really makes as a salary) is another thing stalling the franchise from plunking some serious cash down on a real quality veteran catcher. In my opinion, this is a brutal mistake that will leave the fans frustrated beyond belief if it blows up in the Yankees face. The good news is that if the team is playing well in every other department other than the Catchers position, they can always address the situation at any point next year by a trade. With no significant catchers left on the FA Market, New York will probably go this route. If you can manage to keep atop of the standings, then you may land a veteran catcher that will only have a pro-rated salary for the rest of the year.

If I were Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera or Andy Pettitte, I would not be happy with the club not landing a proven offensive or defensive catcher. (Boy does that Jesus Montero Trade not look so favorable right now.) These 4 veterans are in the last year or two of their contracts and possibly their careers will end once their contracts. While these guys would never panic, you only need to look what the Blue Jays are doing north of the border for real ‘transaction aggression.’ I just think that you have re-signed and brought in Free Agents that all point to a “Win Now” mentality, yet you are going towards one-dimensional catchers that all have limited experience. It doesn’t feel right and the Yankees ‘Faithful’ will have a field day on Management and ownership should this position end up being a crutch on the teams success chances for 2013.

Douglas ‘Chuck’ Booth (Baseball Writer)- I was born in 1976. I have two older brothers that were born in 1975 and 1974. Another brother was born in 1978. My dad had all of us at the baseball park to watch his men’s league windmill team play baseball for every weekend of the summer. By the time I was 4, I also tagged along to my brother’s T-Ball baseball practices. My dad would let me play with the older kids because he knew I loved the game enough to become good at it. While my other brothers liked baseball, I loved it. So as they played cars and watched cartoons, I was happy to be watching baseball with my dad on our old 12’ black and white television screen that you had to pound on with a clenched fist once a day in order for it to focus right. My dad and I would watch the Montreal Expos on the French Channel in Canada. We always muted the sound, opting for a Bob Seger Record instead, but we would watch the game with laser focus. My dad had been a huge Thurman Munson and Yankees fan, so when Munson died in a plane crash, it hurt him a great deal . My dad’s love waned from the Yankees for a bit after. He started to like baseball on TV when I began asking to watch it. He and I sat on the couch and watched Gary Carter play. The Expos were an exciting team at the turn of the 80’s decade with the likes of Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines. I can remember seeing how involved Carter was in orchestrating the leadership of his team. Read the rest of this entry →

Sully Baseball In Memoriam Video For All Baseball Family Who Passed From 2015 ASG – 2016 ASG

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The MLB BallPark Pass-Port Is A Must Purchase For Those Planning To See All 30

The Ballpark Passport is quickly becoming the favorite item among Ballpark Chasers, to chronicle their life goal to see all 30 Major League Parks. You are able to receive the stamps kit for a small additional price. At around $75 all combined, it will contain one of the biggest memento's ever for a Ballpark Chaser's best bucket list wish ever#Greatgiftidea

The Top 50 Contracts ALL – Time in the MLB – Updated For The Stephen Strasburg Extension

A look at the richest 50 MLB Contracts Of ALL - Time. Click the picture

The Phillies have agreed to a minor-league deal with outfielder Daniel Nava, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on Twitter. Nava, 33, spent last year with the Angels and (briefly) the Royals. It has been some time since Nava was a productive major leaguer. He put up a roughly league-average batting line in 2014…

The Dodgers have outrighted utilityman Charlie Culberson, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group tweets. With the move, Los Angeles has one opening on its 40-man roster. Culberson, 27, saw only 68 plate appearances last year with the Dodgers, hitting .299/.309/.388 with a single home run. But he made that dinger count: it…

Brewers righty Phil Bickford has been hit with a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a drug of abuse for the second time, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Bickford reportedly tested positive for marijuana before being drafted in 2015. Players on 40-man rosters are not at risk of suspension for marijuana…

DECEMBER 9: Arizona appears to have acknowledged the signing via Twitter, with a clever nod to Rodney’s post-save, arrow-shooting celebration. Jack Magruder of Fan Rag tweeted the details of the incentives clause, which he says maxes out at $4MM. That includes $250K apiece if and when Rodney reaches 40, 50, and 60 appearances, with a…

The Tigers have announced a barrage of minor-league signings, most notably including a reunion with former Detroit infielder Omar Infante. Other players receiving Spring Training invites include pitchers Ruben Alaniz, William Cuevas, Logan Kensing, Dustin Molleken, as well as catcher Miguel Gonzalez. Infante, who’ll soon turn 35, enjoyed two prior runs in th […]